Seeing UX through the Lens of Evolution:

Unleash the superpowersinside of users’ mind!

Data Analysis Team / NexonAlan Kang

http://twitter.com/alankanghttp://alankang.tistory.com

alankang@nexon.co.kr

What is common between all of them?

Infectious diseaseAirports

World Wide WebHuman Brain

Social Relationships

Node Link

Infectious disease Infected Person Infection

Airports Airport Airline route

World Wide Web Web page Hyperlink

Human Brain Neuron Connection

Social Relation-ships Person Relationship

Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, “Linked: How Everything is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means” (2003)

Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, “Linked: How Everything is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means” (2003)

The Lens of Complex Network Theory

There could be many lenses:

- The Lens of Complex Network Theory

- The Lens of System Dynamics

- The Lens of Statistics

…

Each lens provides an unique way of see-ing and thinking to designers.

The more the better :-)

I’ll talk about what we can discover withthe lens of evolution:

What evolution tells?How should we utilize it?

Ewald Hering, “Hering illusion” (1861)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hering_illusion

Ewald Hering, “Hering illusion” (1861)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hering_illusion

Edward H. Adelson, “Checkershadow Illusion” (1995)http://web.mit.edu/persci/people/adelson/checkershadow_illusion.html

Edward H. Adelson, “Checkershadow Illusion” (1995)http://web.mit.edu/persci/people/adelson/checkershadow_illusion.html

Edward H. Adelson, “Checkershadow Illusion” (1995)http://web.mit.edu/persci/people/adelson/checkershadow_illusion.html

Edward H. Adelson, “Checkershadow Illusion” (1995)http://web.mit.edu/persci/people/adelson/checkershadow_illusion.html

Akiyoshi Kitaoka, “Rotating Snakes” (2003) http://www.psy.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/rotsnakes12e.html

Akiyoshi Kitaoka, “Rotating Snakes” (2003) http://www.psy.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/rotsnakes12e.html

There are thousands of these.

There is something weird in your eyes.

…and in your users’ eyes.

Not only eyes, but also ears.

H. McGurk, J. MacDonald, "Hearing lips and seeing voices," Nature, Vol 264(5588), pp. 746–748(1976)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFPtc8BVdJk

What about thinking and reasoning?Are they somewhat broken, too?

Gerd Gigerenzer, “Adaptive Thinking – Rationality in the Real World“ (2000)

If there is a “D” on one side of the card, then there is a “3” on the other side.

Each of the following cards has a letter on one side and a number on the other. Indicate only the card(s) you def -initely need to turn over to see if the rule has been vio-

lated.

D E 3 4

Gerd Gigerenzer, “Adaptive Thinking – Rationality in the Real World“ (2000)

If there is a “D” on one side of the card, then there is a “3” on the other side.

Each of the following cards has a letter on one side and a number on the other. Indicate only the card(s) you def -initely need to turn over to see if the rule has been vio-

lated.

D E 3 4

It’s a simple propositional logic:

D 3

The only logical falsity:

D & not 3

You are not the only one. Only about 10% of the participants select the right cards.

These are illusions, errors and/or biases.Our minds are somewhat broken.

“I knew it! That explains why my users are so stupid!”

Depressed?

You don’t have to.

The conclusion above could be changed radically with the lens of evolution:

These are not illusions, bias and/or errors but superpowers.

#1

We can see the future.

Mark Changizi, “The Vision Revolution“ (2009)

We need to see future anyway.

But how?

Mark Changizi, “The Vision Revolution“ (2009)

Mark Changizi, “The Vision Revolution“ (2009)

Ewald Hering, “Hering illusion” (1861)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hering_illusion

Most visual illusions occur because of arti-ficial, unnatural inputs. So, don’t blame

your eyes.

#2

We unconsciously use visual cues to im-prove speech recognition.

H. McGurk, J. MacDonald, "Hearing lips and seeing voices," Nature, Vol 264(5588), pp. 746–748(1976)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFPtc8BVdJk

McGurk effect occurs because of artificial, unnatural inputs.

#3

We automatically select appropriate mode of computation for a given situation.

Gerd Gigerenzer, “Adaptive Thinking – Rationality in the Real World“ (2000)

If there is a “D” on one side of the card, then there is a “3” on the other side.

Each of the following cards has a letter on one side and a number on the other. Indicate only the card(s) you def -initely need to turn over to see if the rule has been vio-

lated.

D E 3 4

Gerd Gigerenzer, “Adaptive Thinking – Rationality in the Real World“ (2000)

“If you borrow my car, then you have to fill up the tank with gas.”

Indicate only the card(s) you definitely need to turn over to see if the rule has been violated.

Borrowed Didn’tborrowed

Filled up the tank

Didn’tfilled up the tank

Our mind doesn’t work well with abstract propositional logic:

P Q

Logical falsity:P & not Q

But it works well with cheater detecting situation:

If you take the benefit, then you have to pay the cost.

Logical falsity:Benefit taken and cost not paid.

Jerome H. Barkow, Leda Cosmides, John Tooby,“The Adapted Mind Evolutionary Psychology and Generation of Culture” (1995)

Difficulty with a propositional logic disap-pears when we dealing with natural, ap-

propriate situation.

General conclusion:- There are fine tuned special abilities in our mind. (Massive Modularity Hypothesis)

- They are activated only with appropriate in-puts. (Domain Specificity Hypothesis)

Briefly?

The mind is designed to deal with com-plexity of the world.

What does it tell about design?

- Users are not stupid but interfaces(and design-ers) are. Designers are forcing users to do inhumane things.

- With careful design, we can utilize these abili-ties to make users super-smart.

- Conventional UI Guidelines could be largely improved.

Some applications?

According to Edward Tufte, information vi-sualization guru, we should minimize non-

data-ink.

Edward Tufte, “The Visual Display of Quantitative Informations”

But sometimes, non-data-ink is data-ink.

Colin Ware, “Information Visualization – Perception for Design” (2004)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hering_illusion

Colin Ware, “Information Visualization – Perception for Design” (2004)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hering_illusion

J. J. Gibson, “The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception” (1979)

A surface is substantial; a plane is not.A surface is textured; a plane is not.

A surface is never perfectly transparent; a plane is.

Or we can save lives with visual illusion.

Optical Speed Bar - Alternatives to Speed Cameras Prove Effective (2007)http://www.wired.com/autopia/2007/07/alternatives-to/

“Optical speed bars are spaced to give the impression that a car is traveling at a

faster speed than it actually is.

Results from the study show that drivers slowed 4 to 12 percent when encountering

the bars.”

Optical Speed Bar - Alternatives to Speed Cameras Prove Effective (2007)http://www.wired.com/autopia/2007/07/alternatives-to/

I think these are only beginning.

With profound understanding of human mind, we can design “things that makes

us super-smart.” ;-)

There are whole new superpowers waiting to be exploited in our mind.

There are stunning discoveries waiting to be applied and tested.

“So what? We are designers, not scien-tists.”

Whenever we design somethingwe are making hypotheses.

Whenever we release services/productswe are performing experiments to support

or disprove hypotheses.

E.g. A/B Test is a controlled experiment.

Wouldn’t it be great if we have some place to discuss these things?

- Discussing how to apply evolutionary thinking to product/service design?

- Sharing of ideas, knowledge, discoveries you have found and/or studied recently.

- Forming study groups with people who have similar interest.

Please let me invite you:

http://groups.google.com/group/aepdg(Applied EP Discussion Group)

There’s nothing there yet and I don’t know what can we do.

But who knows?It could be a start of something.

Thank you!

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